A horizontal washing machine appliance generally includes a cabinet with a wash tub mounted therein. A wash drum can be rotatably mounted within the wash tub and can receive articles for washing through an opening. The wash drum generally includes a plurality of holes so as to allow the flow of a fluid, such as air or wash liquid, between the wash drum and wash tub.
During a wash cycle of the washing machine appliance, wash liquid, e.g., detergent, fabric softener, water, and/or bleach, can fill the wash tub to an appropriate level and be applied to articles within the wash basket. Such wash liquid can assist with cleaning of the articles, e.g., as the articles are agitated during the wash cycle. After the wash cycle, the washing machine appliance can rinse the wash fluid from the articles, e.g., using fresh water. Before and/or after the rinse cycle, the washing machine appliance can initiate one or more spin cycles to remove liquids from the articles. During the spin cycles, the wash drum is rotated at a relatively high RPM within the wash tub to wring liquid from the articles, such that liquid flows out of the articles, through the plurality of holes in the wash drum, and drains out of the wash tub.
Following one or more wash cycles and spin cycles, the washing machine can initiate a drying cycle, also referred to as an overnight drying cycle, so as to provide washed and dried articles to the user without the need for the user to, e.g., stay up later than desired or wake up earlier than desired, to switch the washed clothes to a drier after washing. The combination of a wash and overnight drying cycle can last approximately as long as the expected sleep time of the user, so the dried clothes do not have time to settle within the wash drum and, e.g., develop wrinkles
During an overnight drying cycle, the washing machine appliance can dry the articles by rotating the wash drum at a relatively low RPM within the wash tub, while providing airflow to the wash drum to remove moisture from the air and the articles. Generally, air is introduced through an inlet port positioned in the wash tub, flows through the plurality of holes in the wash drum, and then exits through an exhaust port positioned near the opening of the wash drum.
Certain problems can exist with such a construction, however. For example, an appliance of such a construction can have poor air circulation during a spin cycle where air can be bypassed without coming in contact with the articles and can therefore be less efficient at removing moisture from the air and articles. This can result in a relatively high remaining moisture content (RMC) and can make it more difficult to then dry the articles. Additionally, during an overnight drying cycle of an appliance of such a construction, the air tends to be “short-cycled,” wherein air flows along the least resistance path from the inlet port to the exhaust port with little or no contact with the articles. More particularly, the articles to be dried tend to collect near a back end of the wash drum, while air tends to enter the wash drum near the opening of the wash drum and flow straight through to the exhaust port. Short-cycling can result in a low amount of contact between the airflow and the articles prior to the air being exhausted from the appliance. This can leave the articles with a relatively high RMC. Further, a washing machine appliance of such a construction can have accumulations of lint near the opening of the wash drum.
Accordingly, a washing machine appliance having one or more features that can reduce the RMC of articles present in the wash drum after a spin cycle and/or after a dry cycle would be useful.